March 4, 2021

No one could have anticipated a global pandemic when the Academies broke ground back in October of 2019 on its first home, nor the bumps in the road that followed. After several delays due to weather, distance learning, getting approval to lay a block foundation, and drawing up new plans, construction is once again underway. 

The last time I had checked in on the project (back in December), a hole had been dug for the foundation of the home—but then all students were sent home for distance learning. When I drove up to the home site today, I was expecting to see a swimming pool accumulated after all the precipitation we had in February, instead, the foundation had been drained and students in Mr. Coate’s Masonry class were marking off the home’s future corners (as seen in the image below). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

String was tied off to denote the four corners of the home’s primary structure. The students will next come in with a plumb line to mark the ground where they will need to dig down to create trenches to lay down the first blocks. Once the perimeter has been laid, the inside area will be leveled and students can begin to pour concrete and build up the exterior walls. This is the first home* where the masonry students will be laying the foundation themselves.

While Mr. Coate’s students were working on the foundation, Mr. Krone’s Building Construction students were working on the onsite shed. Built to mirror the exterior facade of the house, this shed will be used as external storage while both classes work on the jobsite. Today, Mr. Krone’s students were adding trim to the corners of the shed and would be assisting with the foundation once the initial blocks are in place. 

What isn’t pictured below is the mountain of dirt that needs to be put back around the foundation once it is set. Around the marked line is a gap, roughly two feet wide and several feet deep, that will need to be refilled and graded before framing of the house can begin. I’m excited to check back in a few weeks to see the progress made! 

written by Mrs. Hiltner

edited by Keerthi Selvam and Saanvi Gutta

 

*This will be the 11th home the building trades class has constructed to date, the first as part of the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy at the Academies of Loudoun. Once complete, the homes go on the market and are sold, with the proceeds going to the next home build.